Wire coil carrier



Sept. 19, 1961 w. G. PATTERSON WIRE COIL CARRIER 2 Sheets-S1169?. 1

Filed March 3, 1958 INVENTOR WALTER G. PATTERSON BY (/Qmn, mnws ATTORNEYSept. 19, 1961 w. G. PATTERSON 3,000,589

WIRE COIL CARRIER Filed March 3, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FIG' 9WALTER G. PATTERSON -34 BY @may ATTORNEY W COIL f *Y* R Walter G.Patterson, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Atlantic Steel Company, Atlanta,Ga., a corporation of Deia Ware Filed Mar. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 719,468 3Claims. (Cl. 242-115) This invention relates to improvements in meansfor coiling, carrying and unwinding of wire; particularly the inventionis directed to a collapsible coi-l carrier or pallet which isuniversally adaptable to various coiling and unwinding operations in awire mill. My wire coil carrier is also adaptable to the shipping andstoring of finished wire, and because of its collapsibility may beconveniently returned to the wire mill for reuse.

Every wire mill processing operation, except that of cleaning andpickling, begins and ends on a block or reel, the former term being usedin the trade. There are two basic types of blocks, viz. live blockswhich are rotatable and dead blocks which do not rotate. Blocks arefurther described as pay-off, if used at the beginning of an operation,and take-up if they are used at the end of an operation to collectprocessed wire. Wire drawing machines, commonly called benches, aregenerally equipped with a finishing take-up block having a slopedliange, which comprises a tapered drum having longitudinal slots in itssides to allow the stripping of wire wound on the block. When the blockis full, the machine is stopped and the Wire stripped. To gain increasedcontinuity of operation, these blocks are commonly fitted with fourupright stakes, one `stake being itted in each slot and acting as ablock extension which allows the drawing of more wire between machinestoppages. When full, the wire is stripped from the block by use of adevice with hinged arms which may be locked against the inside of thecoil during handling. Coils of wire thus produced are calledcatch-weight in the trade and may be of varying weights and lengths.Formerly, Without the use of block eXtension stakes catchweight wereabout 100 pounds and using block extension stakes the catchweight wereapproximately 200 pounds. My device permits the processing and handlingof approximately 2,000 pounds catch-Weight. Through the years there hasbeen an increasing rea-lization of the `economies to be gained throughthe use of larger coils in both processing and handling of wire. This isborne out by the several patents which have issued for a live take-upblocks fashioned to receive several catchweight coils of varying insidediameters as well as devices for the stacking and transporting of amultiplicity of catch weight coils. In these latter devices, usually theinishing end of one coil is joined by welding to the starting end of thenext, so that the whole becomes one continuous coil. However, largecoils made up by welding smaller catch- Weight or coils have a tendencyto knot and snarl when paid ott, especially from dead blocks. Thiscondition can only be corrected by rewinding after welding at additionalexpense. Bell Patent No. 2,703,686 for an Hydraulically Operated LetDownand Release for Wire Layers embodies a light weight frame or palletwhich permits the coiling of a greater amount of wire. Here the framecom-prises -two U-shaped rods invertedlly mounted on a wooden platformand welded together at their intersection. The Bell device allows thewire to be led directly from the nishing block of the wire drawingmachine, the finishing block acting as a capstan to draw the wirethrough the nishing dye. The revolving coil of the finishing block isconverted to a stationary coil by means of a revolving arm and the Wireis chuted continuously to the pallet placed to receive it, the palletbeing removable from the chute by hydraulic means. Contrariwise, mydevice may be mounted directly on the nishing block 3,000,589 PatentedSept. 19, 1961 of a wire drawing machine and thus achieves the sameresult as Bells device without elaborate chuting and hydraulicequipment. Additionally, my device is constructed so that the carriersor pallets may be stacked one upon the other during storage or shipmentand after use maybe collapsed for return to the wire mill.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of invention to provide a portablewire coil carrier which has greatly increased capacity for coiling wireand which may be mounted on the iinishing block of a wire drawingmachine.

Another object of invention is to provide a portable wire coil carrierwhich is adaptable to every Wire mill use and, accordingly, may bemounted on live block or dead block pay-ofi and take-up means.

Yet another object of invention is -toprovide a wire coil carrier whichis selectively collapsible for return shipment and storage while not inuse.

Yet, another object of invention is to provide a Wire coil carrier whichhas a central core or centre post which may be adapted for verticallyengaging a keeper shaft of a wire mill block, as well as revolving armswhich are sometimes used in the pa -oi of wire from a coil.

These as well as additional objects of invention will appear as thefollowing specication proceeds with reference to the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational View, showing the primary frame member;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view showing intersecting primary and secondaryframe members in position for use.r

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view ot my device, showing the carrier collapsedwith frame members in substantial on a live take-up block, showing thecarrier core partially in section;

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view, showing my carriers stacked one uponthe other FIGURE 8 is an end elevational view, showing my carp-l riermounted on a live pay-oil block;

FIGURE 9 is an elevational view showing my carrier mounted on a wiremill licor and employing top-hat means during pay-oit.

In the embodiment of invention shown I employ a wire coil carrier orpallet comprising a primary frame member 2 having vertical portions 8and horizontal portions 6 sup-r porting a cylindrical core 4. Thevertical portions 8 may be constructed of angle bars or the like andthus are provided at their base with arcuate, interiorally channeledfoot portions l0 which enable self balance of the coil and stacking ofcarriers upon each other, as shown in FIGURE 7. The vertical and:horizontal portions may be joined by means of welds 12 which aresupported by welded gussets 14. In FIGURE 4 there is illustrated mysecondary frame member 3 which intersects with said primary frame memberand embodies vertical portions 9, adjoining horizontal portions 7 andsupporting collar means 16 which circumIerentia-lly encompass the core 4of the primary frame. As illustrated in FIGURE l a locking pin 18,secured to the core 4 by means of chain 20 may be provided fortransversing the collar 16 and core 9, thus locking the frames at aright angle in-tersec` tion. Upon removal of the locking pin 18 theframe members may be collapsed or folded into a substantially parallelposition as illustrated in FIGURE 3, thus enabling economical storage orreturn shipment of my wire coil carrier. In FIGURE 1 hoist hooks 36 areshown v i 3 hooking. horizontal portions 6 for carrying of wire coilcarrier. 1

In FIGURE 5 my carrier is shown; wire 38 being wound upon my carrierwhich is mounted upon al conventional-A live take-up block comprising abase member 24,

aff cradle 40, and a rotating take-up or finishing block 26 having top30, beveled shoulder 44, base 28 and longitudinal slots 42 for receivingfoot portions 10 of vertical frame members 8 and 9. A take-up or nishingblock adaptable for use with the instant wire coil carrier is describedin applicants co-pending application Serial Number 774,742 for Wire Talie-Up Block led November 1S, 1958. In this use Va pilot shaft 34 maybe constructed to extend beyond the top oi. pallet frame 1 and thusvertically and entirely engage core 4. In this connection, keeper pin 32traverses pilot shaft 34- thus vertically locking, the carrier to thefinishing block. A somewhat shortened keeper shaft 34 is shown in modieduse withoutl keeper pin in FIGURES 8 and 9. In FIGURES 5 and 6 a latchand eye device 80 is Vused for the carrier in open position in lieu ofthe cooking pin 1S and chain 20 employed as shown in FIGURES l and 2.The use of latch and eye 30 at the top of the carrier permitsaccessibility for release when the carrier is enveloped with In FIGURE 7there is illustrated the carriers stacked one upon the other by means ofvertical frame elements 8 andr9, respectfully of the primary framemember 2 and secondary frame member 3, fitting into each other as at46,-the top por-tions of one carrier fittingV into an interior channelportion of the arcuate foot 10 of another carrier.

In FIGURE 8 my carrier is shown seated upon a payoi block 58 employing aconventional brake drum 60 and brake actuating means 64 which are seatedon metal base 62 and are actuable to slow or stop pay-oit of wire 38from the carrier.

FIGURE 9 illustrates my carrier positioned upon a mill floor 22 andhaving attached at its top portion a tophat xture 48 having a circulartop 66 and circular base 70 tting about the tops of vertical elements 8and 9, said base '70 and top 66 being joined by arcuate struts 68. 'Ihuswire 3S pays off through pulley 52 held in bracket 54 which may beattached to a mill ceiling 50, pay-off being facilitated bycircumferential movement of wire 38 about top 70. As will be apparent,revolving pay-oi arms, which are sometimes employed in lieu of top-hatfixtures may be rotatably mounted in the top of core 4.

Thus, the universality of my device for the wire milling industry havingbeen indicated, I now claim as my invention:

1. A wire coil carrier comprising an upright primary frame member havingvertically disposed side members terminating in outwardly directed footportions adapted t0 support a wire wil, horizontally disposed @11dmembers and a cylindrical core supported in said end members, said sidemembers being parallel to and of greater length than said core; anupright secondary frame member having vertically disposed side members,horizontally disposed end members, and centrally disposed collar meanssupported in said end members of said secondary fratrie' member andsurrounding said core, said side members of said secondary frame memberbeing parallel to and' of greater length than said core; said iramemembers intersecting about an axis defined by said core and said collarmeans in rotatable engagement therewith and said secondary frame memberbeing foldable about said core' to collapsed substantially parallelposition with respect to said primary frame member,

2. A wire coil carrier comprising a primary frame member havingvertically disposed side members terminatingV in outwardly directedarcuate, interiorly channeled foot portions adapted to support a wirecoil, horizontal end members,Y and a cylindrical core parallel to thesaid side members and supported in said end members;V a secondary framemember having vertical side membersy terr minating in outwardly disposedarcuate, interiorly channeied foot portions, horizontal end members andconf trailly disposed collar means supported in said end memel bers ofsaid secondary frame member, said primary and secondary frame membersintersecting each other throughV rotatablev engagement of said collarmeans with saidvcorev and said secondary frame member being foldableabouty said corevtoL collapsed substantially parallel position ,withIrespect to said primary frame member, and means lockingy said collar' tosaid core.

3, A wire coil carrier as in claim 1, said cylindrical.

core of saidY primary frame member having anV inner channel adapted forreceiving during'winding of wire. aA verticallkeeper. shaft of a windingmachine nishing blockv and keeper pin means extending transverselythrough said core, said keeper pin means locking said keeper shaft intoa position oifvertical engagement with said core and thereby lockingsaid wire coil carrier into vertical engagement with the winding machinefinishing block.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 987,411spencer Mar. 21, 191i 1,430,165 Heindrich et al Sept. 26, 1922 2,153,420Huttinger Apr.,4, 1939A 2,630,980 Weaver Mar. 10, 1953 2,635,822 BurmanApr. 21, 1953 2,706,609 Sullivan i Apr. 19, 195s l FOREIGN PATENTS1,085,398 France July 2s, 1954`Y

